Catch at wall for final out vs. Clemson gives Miami Hurricanes baseball a spot in ACC Tournament semifinals, 8-7
Top of the ninth inning, up by a run, two outs and the opposing team has a man on first. That was the situation facing Miami today in the ACC Tournament against Clemson with nothing short of the season on the line given Miami’s losing regular season record. Then a deep fly to left field by Tristan Bissetta appeared ready to clear the fence, giving Clemson the lead. But Edgar Villegas sprinted back, leaped,and high pointed the ball right into his mitt.
11-seeded Miami could exhale.
The season continues with a semifinal berth.
“I think I blacked out after he caught it,” joked RP Myles Caba, who threw the pitch. “Off the bat (I thought it was a home run).”
“I’m just so proud of them – our backs are against the wall,” coach J.D. Arteaga added. “Complete and total team effort. … That’s how you win baseball games.”
SP Gage Ziehl worked six innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
“After my fifth inning, the next thing I said was `I’m going more,'” Ziehl said. “This is a team win, a beautiful baseball game. … I had to give everything I had today.”
Caba closed it out, working the final two innings and allowing just the solo home run in the ninth. Caba threw 25 pitches after throwing 60 on Tuesday.
“Gutsy performance,” Arteaga said of Caba. “The plan going in was one inning (from him) if needed, the ninth. But we needed him in the eighth, gave him the ball in the ninth as well.”
Miami next plays in the semifinals on Saturday against No. 6 Duke or No. 3 NC State at 5 p.m. Win that and the championship game is set for Sunday at Noon.
“We are two games into our new season,” Arteaga said. “Everyone is excited, very confident. Playing good baseball at the right time.”
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The Canes jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in this one behind a five-run sixth inning that saw a three-run Antonio Jimenez shot and a two-run double by Daniel Cuvet.
“Tough game for us, we gave up the big inning early with the five spot,” Clemson coach Erik Bakich said. “We had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on some additional runs and just didn’t get the job done. Tight game, just one of those ones where a little lack of execution (cost us).
“We tip our cap to Miami. They did what they needed to do to advance.”
Clemson battled back to cut the lead to 7-6 in the top of the eighth, but after getting runners on second and third with one out a popout and strikeout ended the threat.
Miami got what turned out to be a huge insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when pinch hitter Jake Kulikowski led off with a home run to make it an 8-6 game.
When Clemson hit a leadoff homer in the ninth, Kulikowski’s at-bat turned out to be the difference.
“It was great, we lost to them last year in the tournament,” Ziehl said. “Our season is on the line every game, so we have to come out and show up.”
Ziehl also has a message for anyone facing Miami moving forward.
“We’ve had our rough patches this year, but I’d be scared to play us,” he said. “They call us the `Cardiac Canes,’ so you never know what can happen.”
